I cocked an eyebrow at my apprentice.
“Wait a minute, Massha. Why didn’t you mention this when I asked?”
She looked away quickly.
“You didn’t ask about a belt. Only about rope and climbing hooks.”
“Since when do I have to ask you specific questions … or any questions, for that matter, to get your input?”
“All right,” she sighed. “If you really want to know, I was hoping we could find a way to do this without using the belt.”
“Why?”
“It embarrasses me.”
“It what?”
“It embarrasses me. I look silly floating around in the air. It’s okay for skinny guys like you and Guido, but when I try it, I look like a blimp. All I’d need is Goodyear tattooed on my side to make the picture complete.”
I closed my eyes and tried to remember that I was tired and that I shouldn’t take it out on my friends. The fact that Massha was worried about appearances while I was trying to figure out a way to get us all out of this alive wasn’t really infuriating. It was . . . flattering! That was it! She was so confident of my abilities to get us through this crisis that she had time to think about appearances! Of course, the possibility of betraying that confidence set me off in another round of worrying. Wonderful.
“You okay. Boss?”
“Hmmm? Yeah. Sure, Guido. Okay. Now Massha floats up to the window, which leaves you and me free to….”
“Hold it, Hot Stuff,” Massha said, holding up a hand. “I think I’d better explain a little more about this belt. I bought it in an ‘as-is’ rummage sale, and the controls are not all they should be.”